Contender Gurus Needed

[Sidewinder]

Neither.

 

A 10" will be miserable for you, and anyone within 20 feet, to shoot.

 

What kind of base on the 14"? It seems like a fair price with the forearm and the base providing it is a weaver/picatinny base. If it is a factory base ask him to keep it and take off $20.

Thanks for the input Dolomite. I think you're right about the 10" barrel. I think I remember a short barrel .223 being shot at the range, and it was very noisy. I'm not sure about the base on the 14", but will ask. I had another person, on another site, tell me he had a 16" barrel in a .223... but said it was not for sale. Any experience with the 16"? Where does it go from being a pistol barrel to being a rifle barrel...21" or so?

[Dolomite_supafly]

I was a bit confused. The 14" is a decent price depending on the options.
 
In our state we are in kind of a weird spot. Federal law does not limit barrel length on pistol but in Tennessee a "pistol" must have a barrel that does not exceed 12". "rifles" must have a shoulder stock by state definition so I have no clue what our 14" Contenders are considered. They are not a "pistol" and they are not a "rifle".
 
I consider any barrel 16" or longer to be a rifle barrel and anything under it to be a pistol barrel.
 
I am trying to find some 16"+ barrels now. The reason is I want to add a shoulder stock, preferably folding, to make a nice tidy package. The gun in this video is amazing to me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rj-F-cKoJoM

[onemancoyote]

I had a 10" 223. Very accurate barrel, but the noise level was uncomfortable. Like setting off firecrackers in your hand.

[Glenn]

I used to have a picture of my .223 barrel being shot at night. The fireball was about 5 ft across. You don't notice the fire in the daylight but it definitely goes bang.

[Sidewinder]

I was a bit confused. The 14" is a decent price depending on the options.
 
In our state we are in kind of a weird spot. Federal law does not limit barrel length on pistol but in Tennessee a "pistol" must have a barrel that does not exceed 12". "rifles" must have a shoulder stock by state definition so I have no clue what our 14" Contenders are considered. They are not a "pistol" and they are not a "rifle".
 
I consider any barrel 16" or longer to be a rifle barrel and anything under it to be a pistol barrel.
 
I am trying to find some 16"+ barrels now. The reason is I want to add a shoulder stock, preferably folding, to make a nice tidy package. The gun in this video is amazing to me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rj-F-cKoJoM

No problem... if you think you're confused about all of this, imagine what a newbie to the Contender world thinks! I want to stay within the confines of "all" laws, but explore the TC Contender world also. I was hoping I could snag a 14" Contender barrel in .223 for less than $200...in used condition.

[Sidewinder]

I had a 10" 223. Very accurate barrel, but the noise level was uncomfortable. Like setting off firecrackers in your hand.

I was at a range once where someone was shooting a short barreled AR in .223, and it was uncomfortable to everyone at the range! I think I'll definitely pass on the 10" .223.

[Sidewinder]

I used to have a picture of my .223 barrel being shot at night. The fireball was about 5 ft across. You don't notice the fire in the daylight but it definitely goes bang.

That would be a good pic to post on here, Glenn. Was that a 10" or a 14" barrel?

[Dave Shooter]

TC ad from 1979 showing calibers.

 

I've got one of those 14" 41 Mag barrels.  1700 fps with 210s at under book max.

[R_Bert]

I used to have a picture of my .223 barrel being shot at night. The fireball was about 5 ft across. You don't notice the fire in the daylight but it definitely goes bang.

 

 

That would be a good pic to post on here, Glenn. Was that a 10" or a 14" barrel?

 

Some years ago, at a local indoor range, one of our party touched off a PLR-16 pistol (9" bbl in 5.56 NATO).  Ten full lanes, and the place went absolutely quiet.  The fireball lit up the range like a flashcube (easily a 5'-6' fireball) , and the boom was enormous (as in deafening even with cans). We had guys lining up wanting to play with it.

Edited November 26, 2013 by R_Bert

[Glenn]

That would be a good pic to post on here, Glenn. Was that a 10" or a 14" barrel?

If I can find it I will post but haven't seen tHat picture in years. Still have the barrel though. It's 10"

[Sidewinder]

Some years ago, at a local indoor range, one of our party touched off a PLR-16 pistol (9" bbl in 5.56 NATO).  Ten full lanes, and the place went absolutely quiet.  The fireball lit up the range like a flashcube (easily a 5'-6' fireball) , and the boom was enormous (as in deafening even with cans). We had guys lining up wanting to play with it.

It would have been my luck that they would have asked me to leave! Sounds like the short barrel is an attention getter, alright. My plans, are to be able to shoot a yote, without destroying my hearing. Is this possible with the Contender 14" barrel... or would I have to go to a rifle length barrel for that? I'm keeping my eye open for a Savage 24 in .22 Hornet / 20 gauge...and maybe this will be the best way to go. Anybody got experience with that combination?

[Dolomite_supafly]

The biggest fireball I ever recall seeing from a firearm was a guy who had a 7mm Remington Ultra Mag cut to ~16" for use as a brush gun. It was super loud and shot a ball of flame the size of a basketball and two feet long. It would knock the empty 22 boxes off of my bench every time he shot.

I have sat next to those short barreled 223's and they are very loud as well, almost painful, even with muffs on. So even with a 14" gun you are going to have to wear hearing protection, more so if it has any kind of a brake. But 14" is a lot better than a 10".

 

Have you considered a different caliber? 22 Hornet is capable as long as you keep it to moderate ranges. If you want a little more punch you could open it up to a K Hornet.

[Westwindmike]

I made the decision to get a .223 Contender after reading how I could load it down to just about any level I wanted.

If I want to duplicate .221 Fireball, I load to about 3000 fps.(pretty loud!)

If I want to shoot Hornet velocity, I load to 2500.

For .22 Magnum, 2000 fps. and even .22 LR at 1200 fps.

 

With each reduction in velocity, the noise and blast decrease. My favorite load is the Hornet load at about 2500. It shoots well at 100 yards, not much recoil, and almost no muzzle blast. In fact, I am using a rifle scope with this barrel. So little recoil, there is no need for a long eye relief scope. Mine is the Super 14 barrel.

Edited November 26, 2013 by Westwindmike

[Sidewinder]

Dolomite & Westwindmike,

 

I appreciate the hands on experience you guys have passed on to me. I haven't given up on the idea of a .223 barrel on my earlier model Contender. I have passed on the 10" barrel though...even if it was a very fair price. I don't want to look like the kid that pooped in the swimming pool, while shooting at the range. Lots of blast is an attention getter at the range... for about the first three shots...then it becomes a nuisance. I do not want to upset my friends at the range, or anywhere else I'm shooting. Shock and Awe works well in the sand box, but gets old pretty fast at the gun range. At least, that's my thinking...I could be wrong though...I've been wrong before.

 

I like Westwindmike's idea of downloading for range plinking, and being able to open the throttle on Mr Coyote. Not only would this reduce the annoyance blast, it would also help stretch that pound of powder. I like that idea.

 

Dolomite, I have rifles in both .222 and .223, with reloading capabilities for both. So, I wouldn't just outright pass on a nice 14" .222 barrel, if one came along... but, would prefer a .223.

 

I just got a knock at the door, and delivery of my RCBS .22 Hornet FL die set. So, maybe I'll amuse myself by loading various .22 Hornet loads, while I await the availability of that 14" .223 barrel. I've started a thread on .22 Hornet reloading under "Ammo and Reloading" elsewhere on this site. Being that I'm a complete newbie to reloading this round, I'll take all of the advice I can get... especially if it'll make things safer and lower my cost. I can be frugal at times...and downright cheap at others.

[Westwindmike]

Just a thought on reloading for the Contender. When I started  loading for the 7-30 Waters(bottleneck case) I thought I should neck size to save my brass from being over worked and wearing out too soon. So I started neck sizing. The rounds fit the chamber, but the gun started "snaping" and not firing. After scratching my head and doing some reading, I  decided to try full length sizing the cases.  Viola!!! They all fired. Something about the neck sizing just didn't work with my Contender. You mileage may vary. I know a lot of folks neck size for the Contender, but I don't any more. It was affecting the lock up of the barrel.

 

I saw you were looking for a neck sizing die, Sidewinder. You might try FL first and see if it works for you.

[Sidewinder]

Just a thought on reloading for the Contender. When I started  loading for the 7-30 Waters(bottleneck case) I thought I should neck size to save my brass from being over worked and wearing out too soon. So I started neck sizing. The rounds fit the chamber, but the gun started "snaping" and not firing. After scratching my head and doing some reading, I  decided to try full length sizing the cases.  Viola!!! They all fired. Something about the neck sizing just didn't work with my Contender. You mileage may vary. I know a lot of folks neck size for the Contender, but I don't any more. It was affecting the lock up of the barrel.

 

I saw you were looking for a neck sizing die, Sidewinder. You might try FL first and see if it works for you.

First time I have heard of the FTF on neck sized loads. Being that I have the FL die set, my first batch will be with them. I may still try out the neck sizing later, to see if I have the same problem. Thanks.